Swine Flu: What Are The Real Numbers? Where Is The Science?

(Koren Publications’ forthcoming Myth-Busting Swine Flu Report written by Tedd Koren DC,will discuss more swine flu issues. See here for other vaccination learning materials and here for brochures.)

When I first saw swine flu headlines I was at a KST seminar.  I was asked to comment. I told the audience to relax and wait until the real story came out and not to rely on the media.

We really need to be cautious when responding to medical doom-and-gloom head-for-the-hills scenarios.

There is epidemiological evidence that MDs (health departments, government agencies) can create an epidemic at will – all they have to do is start reporting a disease even though no or few lab tests were done.  All they are relying on is their clinical “impression.” That is all that’s needed and that can be terribly inaccurate.

For example in the UK when kids who were diagnosed by their MD with measles were actually laboratory tested over 99% of them did not have the measles.  They had other diseases that looked like it.  Many, many diseases are very similar.

That is especially true with the flu.  Most of the flu-like symptoms people experience are “influenza-like-illnesses” and are not the flu.  One study showed that only about one in ten people who have flu like symptoms actually have the flow.

We can see this kind of irresponsible reporting when it comes to the swine flu – practically from day one.

Shortly after initial reports threatening a global catastrophe, the true story began to surface. The NY Times, May 2, 2009 – “The swine flu outbreak in Mexico may be considerably smaller than originally feared.”

The article says that reports coming out of Mexico claimed about 2,500 suspected cases.

The WHO, US government and health agencies around the world went on alert and then the numbers were revised.

They finally went about doing laboratory testing.  Of those 2,500 cases 908 were tested and only 397 people turned out to have the virus. Of those, it was reported that 16 people died.

How many deaths?  Soon it was revealed that 7 people died from swine flu in Mexico City out of a population of 20 million.

Apparently the rate of infection is not as widespread as we might have thought,” reported a WHO official. Lessons of 1976: flu, fear, wasted millions. The Globe and Mail (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). May 2, 2009;8.

I’ve heard from people who have been there that Mexico City is one of the most polluted, least sanitary and dirtiest cities in the world.  I’m sure lots of people die every day from disease there.  How do the seven deaths there compare with the deaths from other years? No one knows and no one is asking.

This swine flu, it turns out, is no big deal.  According to Bloomberg News, May 3, 2009 – “The expanding wave of sickness has been similar to seasonal flu.”  And WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, June 11, 2009 reported, “Many people are having mild disease, they recover without medicines in some cases and it is good news.”

Why is this happening?  Because politicians wish to err on the side of caution. Also they have a great opportunity to get on TV and show everyone they are saving us.  Who gets press by saying, “Stop worrying yourselves sick.”?

AS with the 1976 swine flu fiasco, I predict more people will sicken and die from the swine flu shot than from any swine flu, while the real numbers and real science will get buried next to wedding notices on page 32.